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Free Votes In The House Of Commons

EDM number 986 in 1998-99, proposed by Tony Benn on 04/11/1999.

That this House notes the emergence of a semi-presidential style of government, by-passing the Cabinet and taking this House for granted, with few effective checks and balances on the power of the Executive; further notes the development of closer front bench links between parties as with the appointment of Liberal Democrats to a Cabinet consultative committee, and the establishment of a high-level all-party Britain in Europe Committee; notes the tendency of the leadership of all parties to centralise power at the top and expect unquestioning support from their own backbenchers for whatever proposals they bring forward, even where these were not the subject of any prior consultation with colleagues, nor were put to the electorate in the last election; notes the growing public cynicism about Parliament and politics which these practices have encouraged, which may damage the reputation of Parliament itself; and therefore invites all honourable Members, while honouring their personal and political obligations and loyalty to their own party and the manifesto on which they were elected, to speak and vote more freely in the House on the proposals put before them, and by doing so to re-assert their historic role as elected representatives, their right and duty to express their own deeply-held convictions and their responsibility for maintaining the role of this House as a democratic legislature holding all governments to account, having been elected by the people for that purpose.

This motion has been signed by a total of 33 MPs.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Tony Benn04/11/1999ChesterfieldLabourProposed
Richard Shepherd04/11/1999Aldridge-BrownhillsConservativeSigned
Alan Simpson04/11/1999Nottingham SouthLabourSigned
Andrew MacKinlay04/11/1999ThurrockLabourSigned
Robert Marshall-Andrews04/11/1999MedwayLabourSigned
Austin Mitchell04/11/1999Great GrimsbyLabourSigned
William Cash04/11/1999StoneConservativeSigned
David Davis04/11/1999Haltemprice & HowdenConservativeSigned
Martin Bell04/11/1999TattonIndependentSigned
Peter Tapsell04/11/1999Louth & HorncastleConservativeSigned
Teddy Taylor04/11/1999Rochford & Southend EastConservativeSigned
Jeremy Corbyn05/11/1999Islington NorthLabourSigned
John Wilkinson08/11/1999Ruislip - NorthwoodConservativeSigned
Robert Wareing08/11/1999Liverpool, West DerbyLabourSigned
Maria Fyfe08/11/1999Glasgow, MaryhillLabourSigned
Michael Mates08/11/1999East HampshireConservativeSigned
Desmond Swayne08/11/1999New Forest WestConservativeSigned
Alice Mahon09/11/1999HalifaxLabourSigned
John McDonnell09/11/1999Hayes & HarlingtonLabourSigned
Donald Gorrie09/11/1999Edinburgh WestLiberal DemocratSigned
Mike Hancock09/11/1999Portsmouth SouthLiberal DemocratSigned
Harry Barnes09/11/1999North East DerbyshireLabourSigned
Nicholas Winterton09/11/1999MacclesfieldConservativeSigned
Ann Winterton10/11/1999CongletonConservativeSigned
John Austin10/11/1999Erith & ThamesmeadLabourSigned
Norman Godman10/11/1999Greenock & InverclydeLabourSigned
Michael Colvin10/11/1999RomseyConservativeSigned
Bill Michie10/11/1999Sheffield, HeeleyLabourSigned
Peter Luff10/11/1999Mid WorcestershireConservativeSigned
Gerald Howarth10/11/1999AldershotConservativeSigned
John Stanley10/11/1999Tonbridge & MallingConservativeSigned
John Randall10/11/1999UxbridgeConservativeSigned
Owen Paterson10/11/1999North ShropshireConservativeSigned

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